Herbert R. Bates
Herbert Roswell Bates '''(April 20, 1870 - July 16, 1913) was a clergyman in New York and the husband of Edith Talcott, the daughter of James Talcott, a Hartford descendant. Life and Death Herbert Roswell Bates was born in Potsdam, New York on April 20, 1870, the son of Charles Carroll Bates and Charlotte Clark. His father was a physician who enjoyed a large practice there. Bates graduated from the Auburn high school in 1890 and passed the entrance examinations for the scientific school of Cornell University. However, the death of his mother, followed by that of his father, changed his plans. He became principal of the high school at Elba, Nebraska for one year, during which he occupied his spare moments in organizing and conducting prayer meetings and Bible clubs in neighboring towns. This service created a desire to become a clergyman instead of a physician as he had originally intended in his family. He entered Hamilton College in Clinton, New York, and graduated in 1895. He then took the regular course at Auburn Seminary in Auburn, at which he was graduated in 1898. He was ordained to the ministry at Auburn by the presbytery of Cayuga, New York, on April 24, 1898, and in the following autumn, he became assistant to Dr. John Dennison of the Church of the Sea and Land, in one of New York City's slum districts. He remained there for two years, shrinking from no service by which he felt he could help the poor of the flock. He then went to the Fourth Presbyterian Church, New York City, located in an atmosphere of refinement and wealth, as assistant to Dr. Wilbur Chapman. At the close of his first year, he accompanied Dr. Chapman on a tour of the Holy Land, and on his return in 1901 was called to the Spring Street Presbyterian Church in New York, where he labored for twelve years. In that period, the membershi was increased from a scattered few to 600, schools and missions were organized, and the Spring Street settlement in the United States, as opposed to those engaged in humanitarian work alone, was established. The work of this settlement was said to be one of the most effective combinations of evangelism and social service ever attempted. He made two trips abroad, one through Europe, and the other through the Far East. He exercised a strong influence over others, especially among the young, and while in New York gave frequent lectures at colleges and other institutions of learning. He loved the world of nature and the summer hours he spent in the Canadian woods were among his happiest. On June 1, 1909, he married Edith Talcott, the daughter of the wealthy New York City merchant, James Talcott. Together, they had two children. On July 16, 1913, he died in Cuzco, Peru while studying missionary work. After his death, a volume entitled, "THe Life of H. Roswell Bates" by S. Ralph Harlow was published, the proceeds of its sale being devoted to the support of the Spring Street Settlement House. '''Children * Charlotte Bates * Talcott Bates (Jul. 2, 1912 - Dec. 14, 1985) - m. Margaret Monterey (Jul. 22, 1918 - Sept. 14, 2010)